MAN COMES UPON THE EARTH 255 



stay always where the fire was, but that they could 

 move about and make a fire wherever they happened 

 to be. 



Later these cave men learned to make fire in 

 another way, by striking very hard pieces of stone 

 together and getting a spark. Even so recently as 

 our great grandfathers' time a piece of flint and a 

 rod of steel had to be used to start a fire, when the 

 old one went out. 



These ancient men looked upon fire as a friend, a 

 mysterious friend, that they could not understand. 

 The animals were all afraid of it and so it kept them 

 away. Then, too, it kept the people warm through 

 those long, cold nights. The climate was still much 

 colder over all of Europe and North America than it 

 is now, for the great ice sheet had not entirely melted 

 away. And these men, even after they had learned 

 to chip stone weapons and make a fire, yet did not 

 know how to clothe themselves comfortably. 



Finally, those early cave men learned to use the 

 fire to cook the meat and nuts that they had been 

 eating raw. Then they soon learned to grind the 

 seeds of the tall grass which they had gathered, and 

 cook the meal with water. When they learned to 

 cook their food, mankind commenced to be civilized. 



Seeing what a benefit fire was to them, they came 

 gradually to believe that fire was the source of all 

 their blessings. The very mystery of it was fascinat- 

 ing to them. It came from the sky ; they knew that, 

 for was it not the sun, that golden, fiery ball, that 

 kept them warm during the daytime? And was it 

 not the lightning that brought fire to earth? But 



